Thanks to everyone who joined us at our June community meeting! Since its inception, the Roger Williams Park Conservancy has held quarterly meetings for neighbors and users of the Park to hear the latest updates, ask questions, and provide input on Park improvements and programs. These events are informal gatherings and not official business meetings of the City or Conservancy.
Brian Byrnes, Deputy Superintendent of the Providence Parks Department, gave a fascinating presentation about storm water management and water quality improvement efforts at Roger Williams Park. There are 35 proposed storm water retrofits, which are designed to filter and clean storm water and run off before it gets to the Park’s waterways. Seven retrofits are complete and the remaining 28 sites will be installed over the next 18 months. The Park envisions being a demonstration site and resource for storm water management practices.
Other updates included:
- New aerating fountains have been installed in the Park’s ponds, also part of the efforts to improve water quality. Check them out at night to see them lit up!
- Road paving improvements will continue throughout the summer.
- Restoration work on the Temple of Music is complete and restoration of the Casino will be done shortly. Restorations to the Rose Garden will start this summer.
- Interpretive signage will be installed this summer.
- Megan Fischer, Executive Director of the Roger Williams Park Conservancy, shared updates on summer programming: Fitness in the Park, Movies in the Park, a performance of The Tempest presented by Trinity Rep and Rhode Island Latino Arts, and the annual RWP POPS concert presented by the RI Foundation at the Temple to Music. Check out the event calendar here!
The community members who attended were very engaged with the Park and asked many questions and offered suggestions for Park’s improvements. Thank you to all attendees for the valuable feedback!
The next community meetings are scheduled for September 25 and December 11 at 6 PM in the Dalrymple Boathouse. In the meantime, please reach out to us at [email protected] with any questions or ideas!
“Thank you for making the Park more usable by a wider audience.”
– Community Meeting attendee